After dinner, Zi Yan returned to her room in a daze, sitting alone on the bed, staring straight ahead.
This expression frightened Du Juan, who was standing beside him. She hurried forward and said, "Saint Lady, are you feeling unwell? Is the fish you ate today not to your liking? You really don't like sweet and sour food. If you really don't like it, just refuse it next time."
Zi Yan's gaze turned back, and she looked at Du Juan in front of her and said, "Du Juan, am I stupid?"
"Lady Saint, why do you say that? You are a woman of extraordinary talent, with a natural beauty and a heavenly figure. You are absolutely a rare and extraordinary woman. The fact that you have become the Saint of the Holy Church also proves this. Why do you think so little of yourself?"
Zi Yan's mouth twitched twice, and she looked at the maid in front of her and said, "Du Juan, I've noticed that you've been with Lu Chen for a long time, and your ability to praise people has really improved!"
"What are you saying, Saint? I am sincere and just stating a fact."
"Alright, alright, the more you talk, the more you look like him. Let's get back to the point. Do you know how much money he made this time?"
"This... I don't know, and it's not something I can inquire about."
"You really can't know." Zi Yan sighed softly, "Let alone you, even if I knew his detailed operation steps, there is no way I can calculate how much money he made. The amount is simply too huge."
"Lu Chen made his first profit while those merchants were hyping up the artemisia annua. He then lent the money back to those merchants, asking them to continue buying artemisia annua and help him drive up its price. This way, he made another fortune."
"And the calculations can't be so simple. Think about it carefully. If he spent his own money to speculate on the price of Artemisia annua, wouldn't it cost a lot? Now he's using the hands of merchants to complete this operation. This move is really ingenious!"
"In the process, he not only achieved his goal, but also seized the most valuable properties or goods held by those merchants. He was able to effortlessly enter the industries monopolized by those merchants, something many people would never be able to achieve in their lifetime."
"If you consider that he successfully promoted his bank through this incident and let everyone know about the power of his bank, he would have earned even more."
"Later, shiploads of Artemisia annua were shipped in, draining the merchants of their last remaining wealth. This shows how much control he had over the entire plan and how well he understood people's hearts."
"Of course, if that were all, I wouldn't think he was that clever or even demonic. What really scares me is that after making so much money, he's still not satisfied and wants to squeeze out every last bit of value from those businessmen."
"The price of Artemisia annua has plummeted. Just when everyone was trying to flee this business, he came back and cleared out all the Artemisia annua on the market at an outrageously low price. He got the most goods for the lowest price. The fact that he could do this over and over again is the most terrifying thing."
After Zi Yan explained everything to Du Juan, Du Juan couldn't help but open her mouth wide and looked at Zi Yan in disbelief. "Saint Lady, everything you said is true. This man is really exploiting people. He finally collected the Artemisia annua. Can he really make money?"
Zi Yan nodded somewhat dejectedly and said, "Others may not be able to make money, but he will definitely be able to. Do you know what he told me at dinner today? He said that Artemisia annua is definitely still useful. The current market price is obviously lower than its value, so the price will definitely increase in the future, and he has the final say on how much it will increase!"
"When he first said he was coming to Yangzhou, I found it strange. He had clearly said before that he would never go near the epidemic area, so why did he suddenly change his mind?"
"At that time, I really thought he cared about the country, or at least wanted to help stabilize the situation in the Great Qi court. But now it seems that I was too naive. How could I believe such nonsense?"
"I'm afraid he discovered long ago that Artemisia annua can cure malaria, and he also discovered that the records in medical books were wrong, so he planned such a shocking conspiracy."
After saying that, Zi Yan closed her eyes in pain and said, "Du Juan, I feel very weak now. Do you know what I am thinking about now?"
Without waiting for Du Juan to speak, Zi Yan answered her own question: "I was thinking, Lu Chen is the imperial preceptor of Da Qi. He is in cahoots with the Da Qi court and has a very good relationship with the royal family. What are we doing? Our White Lotus Sect is against the court! We are on the opposite side of him!"
"I used to think he was just a little clever, with no real skills. It would only take me a few minutes to kill him. He poses no threat to us."
"But today I suddenly realized that I don't even have the courage to take action in front of him. This person's mind is truly terrifying. Now, as long as he reveals a flaw, I feel that he is deliberately tempting me to take action. Do you think our Holy Church can really defeat such an enemy?"
After hearing these words, Dujuan also fell silent.
Lu Chen's actions this time can be said to have everyone in the world in his hands. He ate the Artemisia annua several times over and over again. Even cutting leeks is not like this!
Lu Chen's cynical smile appeared in Du Juan's mind. Thinking of Lu Chen's ridiculous jokes, Du Juan suddenly felt panicked.
After a long while, Du Juan forced a smile and said, "Saintess, we should think more positively. At least he doesn't know your identity yet. At least the brothers and sisters of the Holy Church are saved, right?"
Zi Yan smiled bitterly and nodded, "You're right. At least the brothers and sisters of the Holy Church are fine now. Have the medicines been delivered?"
"It has been delivered. The leader also said that this was all thanks to you and that you have worked hard. In addition, the leader sent an envoy who said he wanted to discuss important matters with you."
"Interview?"
Zi Yan frowned. Her identity was still kept secret. Logically, the Holy Church shouldn't send anyone to contact her directly.
"It must be something important. Where do they plan to meet?"
"It's in the city. It's already been arranged. We can meet anytime."
"Then tell them that things haven't been peaceful in Yangzhou City lately. Let them wake up a little. By the way, I heard the Qiao family is involved this time too? How are they doing?"
"The losses are heavy, and they're almost losing everything. Didn't Qiao Laosi borrow money from Ding San? I heard that Lu Chen has already asked Ding San to bring people to confront him!"
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